Zacks Research Has Strong Outlook for Mastercard Q1 Earnings

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Mastercard in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the credit services provider will earn $4.26 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $4.24. The consensus estimate for Mastercard’s current full-year earnings is $15.91 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Mastercard’s Q2 2026 earnings at $4.74 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $5.03 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $5.00 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $19.03 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $4.63 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $5.26 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $5.69 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $6.12 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $21.70 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $25.10 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $665.00 target price on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Tigress Financial upped their target price on shares of Mastercard from $685.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Mastercard from $660.00 to $668.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Daiwa America upgraded Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $669.27.

Mastercard Trading Down 1.8%

MA opened at $527.65 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Mastercard has a 52 week low of $465.59 and a 52 week high of $601.77. The business’s 50 day moving average is $554.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $563.50. The firm has a market cap of $473.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.83.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The credit services provider reported $4.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.52. The business had revenue of $8.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.80 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 203.92% and a net margin of 45.65%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.82 EPS.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.07%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mastercard

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nvest Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 1.2% in the second quarter. Nvest Financial LLC now owns 1,505 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $846,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 5.6% in the second quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 339 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $191,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Rialto Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 156 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Robbins Farley grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 54 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mastercard by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 841 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the company’s stock.

Mastercard News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised Mastercard’s FY2026 outlook (now $19.03 from $18.80) and issued higher long‑range FY2028 EPS forecasts ($25.10), implying stronger medium‑term earnings growth and supporting valuation. (Zacks estimate revisions reported 2/12–2/13)
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage notes Mastercard’s revenue beat as customers continue to spend — this reinforces the company’s underlying transaction volume strength and supports upside to revenue and fee growth. Mastercard Incorporated (MA) revenue beats forecasts as customers continue to spend
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard announced participation in two March investor conferences — gives management chances to update guidance and reassure investors but is routine. Mastercard to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/strategy coverage discusses Mastercard’s positioning around stablecoins and crypto rails — signals strategic focus on future payments infrastructure but not an immediate earnings swing. Visa and Mastercard Bet Stablecoins Are the Future of Payments
• Neutral Sentiment: Mastercard launched knowledge‑sharing exchanges with the Central Bank of Syria under a strategic collaboration framework — a geopolitical / compliance angle to monitor; immediate financial impact appears limited. Mastercard and Central Bank of Syria launch knowledge-sharing exchanges under strategic collaboration framework
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed a handful of 2027 quarterly EPS estimates (Q1, Q2, Q3 2027 and a small FY2027 cut to $21.70 from $21.77), which may pressure short‑term sentiment as investors reassess near‑term margin/timing assumptions. (Zacks estimate revisions reported 2/12–2/13)
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also ran a broader piece highlighting Mastercard as a growth stock (style/score discussion) — supportive for longer‑term investor interest but not an immediate catalyst. Here’s Why MasterCard (MA) is a Strong Growth Stock

Mastercard Company Profile

Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. The company facilitates electronic payments and transaction processing for credit, debit and prepaid card products carrying the Mastercard brand, while also providing a range of payment-related services to issuers, acquirers and merchants. Its technology and network enable authorization, clearing and settlement of payments and support a broad set of use cases including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile payments.

Beyond core transaction processing, Mastercard offers a suite of value-added services such as fraud and risk management, identity and authentication tools, tokenization and digital wallet support, cross-border and commercial payment solutions, and data analytics and consulting services for merchants and financial partners.